Three quarters of separating couples are waiting for ‘no fault’ divorce law shakeup
Government plans to bring in new “no fault” divorce laws next month could lead to a surge in the number of couples filing divorce proceedings.
The release of pent-up demand, following the introduction of “no fault” divorce laws on 6 April, is expected to see a boom in demand.
More than three quarters (78 per cent) of separating couples are waiting for the introduction of “no fault” divorce laws, before they get a divorce, new research from Stowe Family Law shows.
All in all, one-in-twenty of the 2,000 married couples surveyed said they are waiting for “no fault” laws to come into effect before they file for a divorce, the data from the UK’s biggest family law firm shows.
Those who said they are waiting for no fault laws to come in said they thought it would be easier for their children and that a no-fault divorce would prevent the situation from getting worse.
No fault divorce laws allow couples to legally separate without attributing blame to either side, in a diversion from current rules which require couples put forward specific reasons for their separation.
The introduction of no-fault divorce will come as the biggest shakeup to divorce laws in half a century, following the introduction of the Divorce Act in 1969.
The news comes after international law firm Slater & Gordon halved the price of getting a divorce, ahead of the UK’s divorce law shakeup.